After The Rain Goes
by Bananahara
Summary: Erwin, a well respected man of business, and Levi, a young sex worker forced to take care of his orphaned baby brother, come to the realization that they would benefit from being in a relationship with each other. They both have things to offer to the other, that they otherwise lack on their own, but the actual romance is something that they'll have to work together to find.
1. Chapter 1

When spring arrived, Eren turned two, and right after that, his parents died.

As a toddler is not an independant being, custody of the child was given to his elder brother, Levi, who as an adult had been living on his own at the time.

Though his lifestyle was anything but healthy, Levi still accepted the child. Despite his hard and icy exterior, the child was still near and dear to his heart and he could not forsake him.

Naturally, Levi was uncertain of his abilities to raise a child on his own, but in ways, felt relief in knowing that his late parents no longer had the power to corrupt the baby. He attributed his own warped 'quirks' to them, and thus hoped that he could make a different future for Eren.

But it wasn't that easy.

They lived together in an apartment situated above the brothel that Levi worked at. He wasn't particularly fond of his job, but he made decent enough money that he had no room to complain about it.

Levi was convinced that his clientele consisted only of the nastiest scum on the earth, but occasionally he'd receive a decent looking John or two. Of course, their appearances didn't matter much at the end of the night. It wasn't the sex he was interested in, it was the work, the money, the promise of a brighter future for Eren. Those three contributing factors were enough to keep his motivation running for an entire night.

His job didn't end there, either. He slept few hours of the night, and awoke with Eren in the early morning. The rest of the day was spent caring for and watching after the baby. Not exactly the most exciting life, but regardless it was the life he lived.

The end of spring was drawing near, but the rainy season stubbornly persisted with no signs of stopping any time soon. Such poor weather always made the baby fussy, making it difficult to get him to bed on time. But once Levi succeeded in doing so, his night job would begin.

Shortly after that, he would make his way to the downstairs workplace where his regular customer, a well built-man with neatly combed blond hair and an undercut, was often already waiting for him.

Levi didn't know much about the man aside from his name. Erwin. And he knew that simply because the man had only one request when they had sex; that Levi says his name when he comes.

Aside from that, the man was a very simple one. He would shower without complaint, unlike many other guests who found the implication that they needed a shower to be an insult.

But there were other odd things about the man that were clear upon first sight. He had a gentle but firm look to him, with high protruding cheekbones, and smooth evenly toned skin. It was clear, even through his clothing, that he had an incredibly muscular build.

As far as regular customers went, there really wasn't any reason to complain about Erwin, and that's what was so confusing to Levi. If a man was that good looking, humble, and well-endowed, then what was he visiting a brothel for?

Well, it's not like Levi particularly cared for his reasoning, but he did grow curious each time that Erwin returned as a guest.

There was a 'pay before you stay' rule at the brothel to ensure that clients didn't harm the workers, or run out on them. Surprisingly few people had complaints about doing so, and it was a rule that needed to be put in place for safety of the staff. Charged on a half-an-hour basis, clients would only need to pay more afterwards if they went over their allotted time.

It was on one particular night that Erwin was handing over his wad of cash to the secretary, Petra, when a small pair of bare feet could be heard toddling down the stairs toward the back of the main hall.

Looking up, Levi had his greatest worry confirmed. Eren had somehow escaped his room up the stairs and was now toddling his way toward him.

Levi excused himself from Erwin and Petra's company, though they were already aware of what was happening. Hurrying over to the baby, Levi arrived just as Eren raised a set of grabby hand towards him.

"Beebee..." Eren whimpered, the affectionate nickname he'd given his older brother. His soft cheeks were stained with tears, and he was growing impatient as Levi bent over to pick him up.

Wrapping his tiny arms around Levis neck, Eren mumbled, "Beebee hug."

"I know." Levi sighed, as he held Eren up with one arm under his bottom, and the other firmly rested on his back. "Eren, you should be sleeping."

"No." Eren retorted with a stubborn pout. He clutched tightly onto the back of Levi's shirt, refusing to let go any time soon. "No Beebee no!"

"Eren, you know I have to work." Levi commented, as he glanced back at Petra and Erwin.

Giving him a sympathetic smile, Petra brushed her hair behind her ears as she suggested, "I could keep an eye on him for you. Your John only has a half-hour reserved for tonight, so it shouldn't be too much trouble."

Levi considered the offer for a second. Normally, he would decline and simply put Eren back to bed himself, but regular customers shouldn't be left waiting for too long. Not that he had a favourite customer, but if he did, then it would certainly be Erwin.

"Sure." he finally answered. "Eren, stay here with Petra while I work, okay? I'll be back soon."

Eren, already fond of the kind lady, enthusiastically nodded his head. "Okay! Bye bye Beebee bye bye!"

Handing off Eren to Petra went smoothly, and he sat on her lap without any struggle. He waved his hand in the air as Levi led Erwin to their private room, and briefly, Levi waved his hand in return.

While Erwin showered, Levi made small preparations to himself. He wore a thin and silky robe over his petite black shorts and garter-less thigh high stockings. He found that less lingerie was often more arousing to his clients, and it was easier to remove in the long run.

Erwin was quick in his showers, but he did a good job of washing himself and always had a pleasant scent surrounding him.

As Erwin made his way to the bed, he took a seat closely beside Levi and gave him a suave grin. Levi took this as his invitation to begin, and thus began to leave a hot trail of kisses down Erwin's neck.

He responded in low and deep groaning, but quickly cut himself off. "That boy," he took a small breath "Is he your child?"

Taken aback by the sudden question, Levi halted and glanced up at Erwin with furrowed brows. "My brother." he corrected him, and then continued to pepper Erwin's neck with firmer kisses.

"You two live here together?" Erwin continued to ask. "You don't look old enough to raise a child on your own."

Pulling away, Levi placed both of his hands on Erwin's shoulder and pushed him back onto the bed. He slid a leg around Erwin's waist, and sat atop his pelvis as he began to remove his robe. "Let's not talk."

Erwin ran his hands along Levis hips before firmly placing them at his waist. "Come closer." he murmured.

Leaning his face in towards the other man's, Levis lips hovered only inches above Erwin's, close enough that he could feel his hot breath against his own.

Raising his hand, Erwin cupped Levi's pale cheek and stared deeply into his eyes. "Just how young are you?" he asked.

"Don't ask me personal questions." Levi retorted, in a harsher tone than he usually used on the job.

It was the first time he'd ever heard Erwin talk so much during one session. During other times, they'd be well into the sex at that point, and the only words to be spoken, would be Erwin's name as Levi came. Things would end at that point.

So why was Erwin suddenly talkative?

Levi pondered as he began to rub his hips against Erwin's erection. He kept preoccupied with the act for a moment as Erwin let out quiet moans of satisfaction.

All at once, without warning, Erwin grabbed hold of Levi and flipped around so that he now lay on top. He removed his bathrobe, exposing his bare body beneath.

"I have an idea, would you hear me out?" Erwin asked.

Levi grabbed a condom from the night stand and ripped the package open with his teeth. As he pulled it out of the package and began to help Erwin get it on, he asked, "What is it?" Fully expecting that it would be the moment when Erwin finally revealed some strange kink that he wanted to perform.

But he was wrong.

"What do you think of marriage?" Erwin asked, as he tugged on Levis shorts and began to pull them down.

Levi was quiet for a moment, as he tossed his shorts to the side. "Like roleplay? Sure."

Erwin smiled in amusement, running his hands along Levis body until he reached his hips, where he held on firmly. "Not quite." he responded.

"What then?" Levi asked. He laid back down and spread his legs open across Erwin's hips. "Are you trying to say you're a married man? Frankly, it doesn't matter to me."

"No." Erwin responded. He gripped onto Levis thigh, and just as he was about to enter him, added, "You and I getting married for real. What would you think of something like that?"

"Excuse me?" Levis expression dropped slightly. He sat up, and gave Erwin a stern glare. "Listen. I said it before. Don't talk to me about personal stuff. If you want to roleplay then that's fine but don't go asking me about this 'for real' crap."

"Just, hear me out, won't you?" Erwin persisted, as he cocked his head. "You've been raising the baby on your own, right? I can tell just by looking at you. Your clothing is designer, but worn out. Your hands are rough, but you've got a habit of keeping everything tidy. I suppose you could say that profiling people is a hobby of mine."

Levi stared blankly at Erwin. He blinked his eyes twice before uttering, "What the fuck?"

"I know it's sudden to suggest such a thing, and we hardly know each other but I think that marriage would be beneficial for the both of us. I have a nice place, it's clean and safe for a baby. A brothel is no place for a baby. And in my case-"

Levi placed his hand over Erwin's lip, immediately seizing his words. "Shut up. You've nearly talked your entire session away."

"Money isn't of great concern to me."

"Hah."

Erwin smiled with the slightest curl of his lip, and leaned in toward Levi. "Think about it, won't you?"

"You're being creepy." said Levi. He grabbed his shorts from the end of the bed and stood, with his back to Erwin, as he shuffled back into them. "I'm calling this off. Get your money back from Petra on your way out."

Quietly, Erwin observed as Levi wrapped himself in his silky robe once more and tied it around his waist. As soon as it was firmly in place, he turned back to face Erwin and raised an eyebrow. "Don't test me next time."

Levi left after that point. He shut the door loudly behind him, to give Erwin privacy to change. He was then greeted enthusiastically by Eren's screeching voice.

"Beebee! Hello! Beebee!" cried Eren, as he squirmed his way out of Petra's arms. Running over to Levi, he immediately threw his hands up in demand to be held.

"You're like an annoying parrot." Levi commented quietly, as he bent over and grabbed hold of the baby.

Petra held a sheet of paper up, with black ink scribbled all across it. "Eren drew this while waiting for you."

"What is it?" Levi asked, pressing his cheek against Erens as he glanced in his direction.

Eren fidgeted for a second, and then hid his small face in Levis shoulders as he wrapped his arms around his neck. "A doggy."

"Oh, what a nice doggy." Levi stated in a rather monotone voice. He was lacking the energy to pretend that he cared, and it seemed like Eren was losing his energetic edge as well. "Are you sleepy?"

"Nu-uh." Eren replied, as he yawned.

"I think you're sleepy."

"Nu-uh... You'we sweepy..."

The echoed clinking of the door sliding behind Erwin as he exited the private room halted all conversation. He was once again fully dressed in the outfit that he'd arrived in, and his hair was neatly adjusted.

"Petra, give him his money back." Levi stated coldly, without so much as glancing at Erwin.

With a look of confusion, Petra nodded her head. "Alright, sure."

"Oh no, don't bother." Erwin quickly cut in, as Petra was reaching for the money. "I won't be needing it back. We didn't do anything necessarily, but I still used up your time so that money is yours."

"Hm." Levi hummed quietly. He was surprised by the gesture, but couldn't complain about gaining money.

"One more thing..." Erwin began. He reached into the inner pocket of his blazer and pulled a card out. He handed it off to Levi casually, before adding, "if you reconsider my offer, then you can contact me here."

Levi only glanced at the card briefly before he tossed it over his shoulder. It landed silently on the ground behind him as he said, "You can come back as my client, but that's all. Nothing personal."

"I understand." Erwin chuckled quietly. He gave a brief smile to both Levi and Petra before exiting. "Goodbye now."

The room was silent as Erwin turned his back and walked towards the front door. As he extended his hand, ready to turn the doorknob, there was small noise that stopped him.

It was quiet, but in a muffled, sleepy tone, Eren uttered, "Bye bye."

Erwin turned his head back briefly and gave a small smile to the infant. "Bye bye." he responded, giving a small wave, and then silently, he disappeared beyond the door.

* * *

><p>It was early afternoon the next day when Levi arrived home, carrying a sulking Eren in his arms. They were just coming back from an unexpected visit to the doctor's office, due to a small fever that Eren woke up with.<p>

Levi opened the front doors to the brothel and set Eren on a waiting chair at the front of the room. Immediately, Levi began to examine every corner of the room, in search of something. When he realized the small object in question was probably in the trash can, he hesitantly reached his hand inside and moved the trash around.

"Beebee..." Eren was whining from his chair. He looked like he was trying to get off of it, but lacked the energy to do so.

"I know, Eren. Be quiet." Levi sighed, as he continued to look through the trash.

Eventually, he found the card he'd been looking for. He really didn't want to- but he knew that he was going to need to call Erwin for assistance.

It wouldn't be for long, though. He had convinced himself. He was really only in need of Erwin's help at the moment, that was all. And then he would be done with him.

Picking Eren back up, Levi made his way to their upstairs apartment. By the time they reached the door, he had already dialled Erwin's number on his cell phone and was listening to the ringing.

"Hello?" An answer came from the other end after about three rings.

Levi closed his apartment door behind him and began to walk Eren to his bed.

"Erwin?" he asked. He realized that it was his first time he'd said his name in a non-sexual manner.

"Yes, who is this?"

"It's Levi."

"Oh?"

He could hear the amusement in his voice and it pissed him off.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Erwin asked.

Levi was hesitant for a second. "That thing you were talking about last night, tell me more about it."

"You mean, the marriage proposal?"

"Yeah."

"Why the change of heart?"

Levi was quiet for another second before he answered, "You might be right. A brothel is no place for a baby."

* * *

><p><strong>Note:<strong> Ahh! I hope this first chapter wasn't too odd. I hope you'll stick around to read the rest of the story! And don't be shy about sharing your thoughts!


	2. Chapter 2

"Beebee! Beebee!"

The pitchy cooing of Eren's voice, accompanied by repetitious pats to the face was the only alarm clock that Levi ever needed.

Being that he was a fairly light sleeper, he awoke after only a few smacks to the face.

Occasionally, when Levi was feeling playful, he would grab Eren's tiny hands by surprise, flip him onto his back and blow raspberries on his tummy until he had giggled all of his morning energy away.

However, on that particular day, Levi was feeling tired and dreadful.

"Stop it, Eren." He grumbled. He lazily extended his arm and poked the tip of Eren's nose with his index finger. It was enough to get a quick giggle.

After only a few extra minutes of laying around, Levi finally got out of bed and began the day.

His schedule always started the same way. Change the baby's diaper, put the baby into day clothing, feed the baby, and so on. Of course, his entire day revolved around Eren and taking care of him, and after only their morning routine, he was already fairly worn out.

But things were different that day. After he got through his morning routine with Eren, he then began to pack up all of their personal items. Luckily for him, neither of them had many possessions. The only notable thing was Eren's oh-so-precious stuffed teddy bear with a missing right eye. He was a well loved toy, who had creatively been named 'Teddy.'

Eren, who was still feeling the after effects of his previous day's cold, quietly sat on the bed and played with Teddy as he waited for Levi to finish packing their bags.

With mostly just clothing, extra diapers, and other necessities, Levi managed to pack all of their belongings into just two separate bags. He had only left out a few items, ones that they would need to leave with.

As rain had continuously been pouring outside for the past day with no signs of stopping, Levi made sure to dress Eren in a few extra layers. And then, just to be safe, he put him in a rain coat, a large scarf, and rain boats additionally. The last thing he needed was for Eren's cold to worsen, because he knew that he certainly could not afford another surprise trip to the doctor's office.

As for himself, he was not a fan of the cold. He donned his largest hooded sweater, along with thick track pants and a scarf of his own.

They weren't exactly the most fashionable looking pair, but looking good was Levi's last concern when he wasn't working.

Levi slipped one of the backpacks on his back, and slung the other one over his shoulder. With his free hand, he held onto Eren's tiny hand as they exited the room.

"Say bye-bye to our room, Eren." said Levi, as he turned around and shut the door behind him.

"Bye bye." Eren mumbled quietly. He took a small step forward and kissed the door his goodbyes.

* * *

><p>The distance from the brothel to Erwin's house wasn't extremely long, but Eren had a difficult time keeping up in the heavy rain. Already feeling lethargic due to his cold, his steps were slow and sluggish. Every time they had to wait at a crosswalk, Eren would rest his tiny head against Levi's leg and whine quietly to himself.<p>

After only a few minutes, Levi had no choice but to pick Eren up and carry him the rest of the way.

When they finally arrived at Erwin's place, roughly ten moments later, Levi struggled to knock on the door because he had no free arms. Instead, he risked sounding impatient by kicking the door with his foot.

Within a moment, Erwin opened the door up with a pleasant and inviting smile. "Let me help you with that." He said, grabbing the bag hanging from Levi's arm.

After taking only one step into Erwin's house, Levi was completely taken aback by how vast the inside was. From the outside, it had looked average at the most, but actually standing in the house put a completely different perspective on things.

The main entryway was about the same size as the living room in Levi's apartment. Towards the back of the room was a long staircase that led to the upstairs. On the right, a large entryway led to the living room where a long beige couch lined the wall, and formed an 'L' at it's curve.

"Is this everything you brought?" Erwin asked. "Or will you be needing to fetch the rest of your things?"

"No," Levi answered flatly, "this is everything."

The house was almost unreal, like something from a hazy dream. Variants of white, cream, and beige made up the colour scheme of the entire place, making it look vaguely like something from a fancy home decor magazine. The only shred of reality, and the thing that stood out to Levi the most, was the mess.

Piles of clothing littered the otherwise beautiful couch and sprawled across the coffee table, making it hardly noticeable. On the ground were stacks of books so high that they nearly reached the same height as the couch, and seemed prepared to collapse at any given time.

"Sorry for the mess. I was just cleaning up when you got here." Erwin casually commented, as he glanced non-chalantly around the room. His demeanor didn't suggest that he was apologetic in the slightest. Rather, it seemed like he was accustomed to living in such a dissaray.

Well, that would certainly have to change if Levi was going to live with him.

Erwin shut the door as Levi and Eren took off their wet shoes and placed them on the shoe rack beside the exit.

The baby was on his best behaviour, likely due to his cold, and waited patiently as Levi free'd him of his rain coat and scarf. After he finished, Levi handed the wet articles of clothing to Erwin, who tossed them casually onto the coat rack.

"Eren, sweetie, your big brother told me that you have a cold." Erwin commented as he knealt down to Eren's height.

Eren nodded his head timidly, as he clutched the leg of Levi's pants in his tiny fists.

"Is there anything that you want?" Erwin asked, smiling gently so as to not intimidate him.

"Teddy.." Eren answered in a mumble, staring up at Levi.

Levi slipped out of his backpack and set it on the ground. He quickly unzipped it and pulled out Eren's treasured plush and handed it to him, which he accepted graciously.

"Can he lay down somewhere? He's still a bit warm." Levi asked while zipping the backpack closed.

"Of course." Erwin answered. "Is the couch fine for now? I still need to make the beds."

"Sure."

Erwin went about making a small resting station for Eren on the couch. With a squared tan pillow, and a warm fleece blanket, the baby cuddled up with Teddy without much complaint or hassle. Levi sat beside him to keep a close eye on him, and Erwin momentarily left the room to prepare drinks for everybody.

In the few moments alone, Levi slowly gazed around the room, soaking up it's every crack and crevice to get a better understanding of the type of man that Erwin was.

Aside from the abundance of dirty laundry and books, he didn't seem to have many possessions lying around in his living room. There was a television next to the window, but it hadn't been turned on. The screen was clouded in a thick layer of dust, which suggested one of two things. Either, one, Erwin didn't watch it very often, or two, he just didn't clean very often. Judging by the mess surrounding the television, Levi quickly assumed the latter.

Not being a fan of the mess, Levi was heavily tempted to begin taking control of the room right then and there but he resisted the urge. First things first, he was going to find out why Erwin had suddenly proposed the idea of marriage out of the blue, and to him of all people. If his reason was good enough, he'd stick through with it and actually marry him, and if not, he'd just go along with pretending to be interested until he found a better home for him to take Eren to. That was his own simple plan.

Moments later, Erwin entered the room. He had two mugs in his hand, and a sippy cup in the other, which struck Levi as odd.

Erwin set his own mug on the only small free corner of the coffee table and handed a mug to Levi. Then, he bent down to Eren's height with a kind smile and handed him the sippy cup. "Here you go."

Eren stared blankly for a second before he reached forward and accepted the cup, bringing it to his lips and guzzling the contents quickly.

"So," Erwin began to speak as he took a seat at the bend of the couch. "We have a lot to discuss."

"We do." Levi responded coolly. "You have the most explaining to do, really, so go on."

"Actually, if it's alright, I wanted to ask you some things first." Erwin stated, taking a small sip of his tea.

Levi furrowed his brows. Hesitantly, he replied, "Fine. What is it?"

With no change in his tone at all, Erwin casually went on, "How did you become Eren's guardian? Did your parents die?"

"Yes." Levi answered flatly. He grabbed his mug and brought his lips to the rim. The aroma was incredibly weak, and the taste was worse. After sipping a small amount of the bland tea, he quickly spit it back into the cup. "God. This tastes like ass."

Erwin raised his eyebrows in surprise over the bitter reaction. "It's orange pekoe. Not to your liking, I suppose?"

"No." Levi hissed, setting the cup on the coffee-table. He was growing impatient by the idle conversation and decided to get straight to the point. "So, tell me what your deal is. Why do you want to marry me?"

"Ah, that would be because..." Erwin smiled, and hesitated his words for a second. "... I've taken an interest in you. That's all."

They locked eyes momentarily. Levi glanced away first and focused his gaze on Eren instead, who looked like he was slowly dozing off.

"Well, there's another reason too of course. I need to be married by a certain time, and it's growing rather close." Erwin added casually.

_There it is. The real reason. _Levi thought.

"Oh?" Levi raised an eyebrow slightly.

"I guess you could say that us meeting when we did was convenient. I really am interested in you, though. And perhaps, given time, you'll grow fond of me as well." Erwin chuckled to himself.

Noticing the blanket slipping around Eren's waist, Levi pulled it up slightly and tucked him in. It triggered a small and tired smile from the baby, as his body began to go limp with sleep.

"We barely know each other." Levi finally said. "It's just odd."

"I understand but I really do have your well being in mind. Being raised in a family environment will have positive effects on Eren, as well."

Levi eye'd Erwin briefly before gazing back at the sleeping baby. "Right."

"I'm sorry, am I talking out of place?"

"It's just weird." Levi answered, keeping his voice monotone. "You care about a whore and a baby that you don't even know? Whatever. I'm just repeating myself at this point."

Erwin leaned forward, elbows to his knees as he spoke. "I promise that I'll do my best to let you know all about me as we get closer. I hope that you'll do the same."

Gently running his bent index finger across Eren's chubby cheek, Levi spoke without glancing up. "So. What are we then?"

"Excuse me?"

"When people ask what we are, what am I supposed to say?"

"Well..." Erwin sat back in his chair, easing his posture slightly. " 'Boyfriends' seems like a good place to start."

"That's fine with me." Levi was surprisingly easy going with the suggestion. "The rest of your house... Is it all this messy?"

Erwin laughed awkwardly, as he scratched his chin in thought. "No... It's just this room. I've been alright with keeping the rest of them clean. Anyway, shall we go upstairs and start to unpack your things?"

"Sure." Levi nodded. He was gentle and careful as he pulled Eren into his arms, so as not to wake him. He still wanted him to rest so that his cold would go away quickly, but he didn't want to leave him alone to nap in an unfamiliar area in case he woke up while Levi wasn't around and became confused.

Grabbing the two bags that Levi had arrived with, Erwin led him up the stairs.

The upper-level of the house was smaller than the first floor, but still an impressive size. Each door was closed, making it hard to tell what each room was used for.

Turning the corner, Erwin suddenly halted mid-step. Levi managed to catch himself just before bumping into his back, but as he was much shorter, he could not see what was happening in front of the other man.

"Don't just stop randomly like that." Levi huffed. "What did yo-"

He cut himself off as another man passed by Erwin. He'd been turning the corner at the same time as Erwin and they seemed to have run into each other. They both apologized briefly before Levi blurted in.

"What the hell? You already have a man, you creep." Levi glared up towards Erwin.

The new man took another step forward. In appearance, he was the complete opposite of Levi. Rather than short and brooding, the man was extremely tall and had an inviting presence. He had dark facial hair that was well groomed, making an odd contrast to his tufts of unruly wheat blond hair.

Before anybody else could speak, there was a tiny thumping noise behind the man. Mere seconds later, a baby appeared at his feet. He was a small thing, with lively blond curls and strikingly bright blue eyes. Sucking on a pink pacifier, he clung onto the man's leg timidly after he noticed Levi present.

"...And a baby. Seriously?" Levi asked in dismay. He couldn't believe the display he was seeing in front of his eyes. Not only had he easily agree'd to live with a client of his, but he hadn't even gotten time to know him first. Now it turned out that he was already living with another man and baby?

"Who is he?" The man asked Erwin, talking as if Levi weren't standing right beside him.

Erwin laughed. "I know you two must be confused. But this is my boyfriend Levi, and his little brother Eren." He extended his hand towards the two. "And Levi," he continued, extending his hand to the man. "This is my best friend Mike, and his son Armin. They're only staying here for a little while."

"Oh. Well, it's nice to meet you." Mike stated, as he bent over and scooped up his baby. He took a few steps forward, stopped briefly beside Levi and inhaled a large breath of air. "You should change him, by the way." He commented, as he continued on his way down the stairs.

Levi quickly sniffled the air, but couldn't smell anything particularly off.

Noticing him do this, Erwin couldn't help but break out into a small smile. "He's got a great sense on smell. Don't mind him though, he seems a bit odd but he's a good man. He's just going through a rough patch right now." He explained patiently.

"Moving on. This over here," Erwin began as he opened a nearby door, "is a spare room I thought might be suitable for Eren."

The room was one of the cleanest areas of the house. Aside from a twin sized bed, far too large for a toddler, and a small night-stand with a plain white lamp, the room was completely bare.

Levi took a step inside and quickly examined the room. It was slightly dusty from not having been used, but otherwise, he had no real complaints.

"It's not bad." Levi commented. "It needs some work but Eren will like it."

"I'm really glad to hear that." Erwin leaned against the doorway. "And you have a choice about where you can stay. There's enough room for you to stay here with Eren, or you can stay with me in my room. It's all up to you."

Levi gave thought to the idea before answering, though it didn't take long for him to make his choice. "I'm staying with Eren until he gets used to being here."

"Sounds fine to me." Erwin responded. "You're a good brother."

"Hm." Levi hummed, as he set Eren, along with his blanket and Teddy, onto the bed. "But first things first."

"What?"

"If either of us are going to stay here then we're going to need to make some changes. And by that I mean this mess of a house."

* * *

><p><strong>Note: <strong> I hope that this chapter wasn't too uneventful since it's just about settling in. I promise the real action starts next chapter! Also, a big shout-out to fitzzy for editing my mess of a chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

The room was lit up by the natural light leaking in through the window. It was the first time that the sun had revealed itself in days, and a small bit of residual rain dripped from the roof, creating a soft pattering as it hit the window frame.

A thin beam of light leaked into the room, creating a line of direct sunshine on Eren who was posed on all fours.

"Raaaaawr!" Eren exclaimed, smacking a chubby hand forward and hitting the foot of Erwin, who smiled as he watched the toddler.

"You're so good, Eren! You're just like a real tiger!" Erwin praised the baby as he clapped his hands together in delight. "Now... Do you know what sound a dog makes?"

Eren quickly nodded his head, and then, remaining on all fours, stuck his tongue out and made panting noises.

"Woof! Woof!" he barked excited, while toddling around the room on his knees.

Erwin chuckled loudly. "You're so smart, Eren!"

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

The door suddenly flung open, taking both Erwin and Eren by surprise.

"What the hell do you think you're doing in here? You're supposed to be cleaning." It was Levi, dressed ever-so fashionably in an over-sized white apron, and bandana to cover his hair. In one hand he held a duster, which he then impatiently pressed against his hip.

Crawling over to Levi, Eren looked up at him with big, lively eyes. "Woof, woof!" he chimed.

Levi knelt down and ruffled his hand through Eren's hair. "This little doggy should be in bed right now." he commented.

Brushing Eren's bangs to the side with his fingers, Levi pressed his wrist against Eren's forehead for a brief second. "Yep. You're still warm, Eren. Back to bed for you."

Eren puffed his bottom lip out into an exagerrated pout. He stood up on his feet and glanced back at Erwin with a grumpy expression.

"Butt." Eren mumbled quietly, before looking away as Levi picked him up and placed him back onto the bed.

Placing his hand over his chin in surprise, Erwin asked, "Was that directed at me?"

"Of course." Levi responded, sounding slightly amused. "You're skipping out on cleaning to come play with him and giving him false hope. It's cruel, isn't it?"

Eren nodded his head while clutching onto Teddy tightly.

Levi pulled the blankets up and tucked Eren in carefully. "I'll bring you food soon, so play with Teddy until then."

Eren nodded his head again, this time solemnly, as he exaggerated another pout.

Standing from the bed, Levi immediately walked over to the window and closed the small crack that was open. "There's water everywhere. I asked you to do one thing and that was clean this room up and now it's an even bigger mess. Honestly."

Erwin stood up from the spot he'd been sitting on the ground. "It's like we're married already." he said, with a small smile. Quickly, he added, "Eren seems a lot more energetic today. He wanted to play and I'd already finished cleaning at that point. Oh- I forgot about closing the window, though. That's my fault."

Crossing his arms, Levi raised his eyebrows while glancing up at Erwin. "We've already been here for two days and we still haven't managed to clean the entire house."

"It's not all bad, we're almost done now." Erwin added, using a cloth from the night stand to wipe away a bit of rain that had managed to spill onto the window sill, creating a small puddle.

"Well, do another cleaning in here. I'll be making food for Eren." Levi stated as he casually left the room.

Later in the afternoon, after the cleaning was finished and after Eren's afternoon nap had finally broken his fever, the weather had taken a turn for the worse and was suddenly down pouring.

Since there was hardly any choice but to stay inside, Erwin had suggested that the babies get a chance to meet and play with each other. Levi agree'd reluctantly, since he wasn't positively certain if Eren was still sick or not.

As neither one of the babies had met another toddler before, it was a confusing but exciting experience for the two.

Mike had brought Armin up to the living room where Eren was loudly playing with Teddy. He walked the baby over and then set him on the floor next to Eren.

The two had stared at each other for a prolonged moment. It was Armin who would be the first to initiate contact.

He reached a small hand forward and touched Eren's cheek. Reacting sourly to the touch, Eren began to cry with frustration, which triggered a fit of tears from Armin as well.

They were separated and comforted for a few moments afterwards, and then, when they were reunited for a second time, they appeared to be getting along just fine. They played together with Armin's toys merrily after that point, giggling and clapping their hands together in joy.

"That's so nice. They're friends now. What a relief, right?" Erwin asked, cocking his head toward Levi.

Levi nodded his head silently.

After a moment of silence, he looked toward Mike and asked, "Why does he still have a pacifier? He's Eren's age, isn't he?"

Mike stared silently at Levi before he returned his gaze to Armin. "He's sixteen months, actually." He began to explain. He looked back at Levi before quietly adding, "He's having a tough time adjusting to this new life, so it would be a bad time to take it away from him."

Levi didn't push on with the subject any longer. He had very quickly received the vibes that it was a sensitive and freshly wounded topic. He understood it well.

"Armin is a very smart baby." Erwin cut in, changing the topic to a more pleasant one. "He knows so many animals noises and is great with the alphabet already."

"Yeah, he's a quick learner." Mike added, watching Armin with a faint smile on his face. "He's pleasant too. Not fussy very often." His voice drifted off slightly, as if he weren't talking to anybody in particular.

Levi wasn't sure if the man just had an aloof personality, or if it was an awkward topic, but he decided to contribute to the conversation regardless.

"Eren is the opposite." Levi responded. "He learns at his own pace- which is pretty slow, and he's always fussy."

For a brief second, Mike seemed slightly taken aback at the fact that Levi has responded to him, but then his expression transformed into a more light-hearted one. With his lips curled into a small smile, he let out a short laugh, which quickly caught Armin's attention.

Entranced by the noise, Armin smiled from ear-to-ear as he toddled towards Mike and threw his hands up towards him. "Daddy!" he cried out.

Mike hooked his hands underneath Armin's armpits and lifted him up. Setting him comfortably on his lap, Mike leaned forward and peppered the baby's cheek in kisses.

Armin giggled loudly at the feeling of Mike's moustache brushing against his skin. He pushed the man's face away playfully, and then leaned in to give him a slobbery kiss on the cheek in return.

"Thank you." Mike said, as he wrapped his arms gently around the baby and hugged him.

Armin responded by wrapping his arms around Mike's neck. He leaned his cheek against Mike's shoulder contently.

"I think I'll start getting him ready for bed now so that we're not in the way when Eren is getting ready." Mike stated, as he stood from the couch and turned towards Eren, who was playing by himself on the floor. "Say goodnight to Eren."

"Bye bye." Armin waved his arm.

Eren reached his arm into the air and waved it enthusiastically in return. "Bye bye!"

With that, Mike and Armin had left the room and it was once again silent, save for the mindless babbling that Eren was performing with Teddy.

The sound of rain smacking against the glass windows grew stronger with the silence, and the large gusts of wind caused the tree branches to scratch against the outside of the house.

Occasionally, when a light roar of thunder could be heard brewing in the sky, Eren would let out a loud screech of disapproval. Mostly, the rain didn't seem to be bothering him too much, so he continued to play with Teddy.

"Levi, may I ask you something?" Erwin suddenly asked, out of the blue.

Levi lifted his chin as he turned his gaze to Erwin. "Go on."

"How would you feel about a public proposal?" Erwin asked, frankly. He quickly continued, "I know not everybody is into them so of course I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"Sure." Levi answered, surprisingly quickly. "As long as it's not some big, drawn out thing."

"Really?" Erwin raised his eyebrows in surprised.

Levi shrugged. "I don't see the problem with it."

"Well, my parents are having a dinner party next weekend and they wanted me to bring you. I thought it might be a good time to pop the question because I know that my parents like that sort of thing. The parties they have are always classy so I'm certain you'll have a good time, and you're free to bring Eren too if you'd like."

"I'm not sure how Eren would feel about parties. I might, though."

"Either way is fine, honestly. I'm sure my parents would like the two of you."

"If they're attracted to strangers the same way you are then I'm sure they will." Levi jabbed.

Erwin took the joke gracefully and laughed along. "Well, I hope."

"Raaawr Teddy! Gabba baaaba." Eren was babbling to his Teddy on the floor. He smacked the plush a few times in the stomach with his fist and then grabbed it's arms and smacked himself across the face with them as if he were acting out a play fight.

The two watched Eren's curious form of play momentarily before Erwin resumed the conversation.

"Eren... Is he your only close relative?" Erwin asked, his voice slightly hesitant as he wasn't sure if the topic was sensitive or not.

"Why?" Levi was quick to ask.

"I was just wondering," Erwin started, cupping his chin in thought. "It would have been nice if you had a close relative I could have gone to, to ask permission to marry you."

Levi raised an eyebrow. "It's fine if I just give my permission. I'm an adult, so what does it matter?"

"It's just something the men in my family have always done, but I guess it really can't be helped in this case."

"I only have two relatives, including Eren." Levi explained. "So just ask him."

"Ask Eren?"

"Yeah."

Erwin shot glances between the two for a few seconds. At first, he had thought that Levi was joking by suggesting such a thing but the expression on his face had suggested that he was quite serious.

"Alright then." Erwin chuckled. He shuffled to the end of the couch and leaned forward with his chest pressing against his thighs so that he was more on-level with the toddler. "Eren?"

Eren turned his head around quickly from his play fight with Teddy. With a small scowl on his face, he asked, "What?" in a surprisingly grumpy tone.

"I'm sorry to bother you while you're playing but I want to ask you something." Erwin continued. He used a soft, gentle tone.

Eren simply stared blankly in response, awaiting the question.

"Ah, well," Erwin suddenly felt awkward. He tried to keep his wording simple, so that he wouldn't confuse the baby. "Can I marry your big brother?"

Eren furrowed his tiny eyebrows in confusion and glanced at Levi.

"He wants to marry me." Levi explained, pointing at Erwin. "Marry means that we live together, and kiss each other. That kind of stuff."

At that comment, Eren's mouth immediately flung open in shock. "Gwoss!" he screeched. "No, Beebee, no!"

Eren discarded Teddy on the floor and immediately made his way over to Levi. "Beebee, no! No, no, no, no, no!" he pleaded, tears brimming in his big eyes.

Picking the toddler up and setting him on his lap, Levi tilted his head in Erwins direction. "Well, there you have it. We had a nice run while it lasted."

"Do you not like me, Eren?" Erwin asked, as he scooted closer to the two.

Eren sobbed into Levi's shoulder, and shook his tiny head. "Beebee... no." he evaded the question and continued on with his mumbling.

"Did I do something to upset you?" Erwin continued to press on.

"Erwin." Levi cut in, his brows knit sharply. "He's two. He doesn't understand what you're talking about."

"Ah. I'm sorry if I confused you, Eren." Erwin apologized, his eyes softened slightly. "I'm just surprised to see him react this way."

"It's not really a surprise to me. Babies don't like to share their things."

"I guess you're right. Well, I hope that we can become friends, Eren." Erwin added.

Eren didn't reply. He continued to sob into Levi's chest stubbornly, frustrated at the thought of his older brother spending his time with people than himself.

Levi gently ran his fingers through Eren's messy tufts of hair to soothe him. His sobbing quieted within only a few moments of the method, and muffled down in a soft but steady whimpering instead.

"He's just not used to you yet." Levi commented, continuing to comfort Eren. "He needs time."

"Of course." Erwin responded. "He can take all the time he needs. I don't want to scare him off or anything."

"Well, I'm going to get him ready for bed now." Levi stated with an underlying sense of dread. He stood from the couch, and knelt down to pick up Teddy from the floor. "Say goodnight, Eren."

Eren quickly shook his head. "No!" he cried, defiantly.

Levi simply shrugged his shoulders in response.

"Good night." Erwin waved his hand to the baby, but received no response in return.

* * *

><p>The next day, early afternoon, Erwin had arrived home unusually early from work.<p>

Levi was unsure of what the man's actual line of work was, as he had never explicitly stated it allowed. Not that Levi had cared enough to question though, he assumed it was none of his business and that Erwin would tell him if he so desired to.

Making a large ruckus as he entered the house, Erwin slammed the door behind him, causing Eren, who was currently eating his lunch, to become startled and drop his spoon. The baby began to whine loudly.

After getting Eren a new spoon and calming him down, Levi stormed into the entrance hall where Erwin was standing, looking tired and worn, his usually perfect hair sat out of place across his forehead.

"What the hell do yo-" Levi cut himself off as his eyes landed on a large, label-less white box sitting in front of Erwin's feet. "What is that?"

Erwin took a deep breath and brushed hair back to the side with his fingers. "It's a playset, for Eren."

Levi continued to stare without speaking, so Erwin continued.

"He doesn't have one, right? I just so happened to see this kitchen and table playset at the store and got it for him."

"Where did you get it?"

"Toys R Us."

"You just so happened to be at Toys R Us?"

A small chuckle escaped Erwin's lips as he shrugged his shoulder. "It doesn't hurt to spoil a baby every now and again."

"I guess."

"Where is he now?"

Levi extended his thumb, and pointed over his shoulder. "Kitchen. He's eating."

"Perfect. I'll set it up in the living room to surprise him. You keep him busy until I'm done." Erwin said, as he picked up the large box and carried it through the passageway between the entrance and living room.

"Fine." Levi mumbled. "But hurry it up." he added, before disappearing into the kitchen himself.

In the meantime, Levi waited for Eren to finish his meal, then cleaned him up afterwards. The baby began to grow impatient after waiting some time in the kitchen area, but it wasn't long before Erwin called out to the two.

"Alright! It's all ready!"

Eren immediately burst out of Levi's arms and dashed into the living room. When he caught sight of the colourful playset, he let out high-pitched squeals of delight. He immediately ran to the kitchen portion of the set and began to fiddle with the toy phone attached to it's wall.

"Hello? Hello?" he pretended to have a conversation into the phone. He hung the phone up after and began to open all the the strange doors and cabinets that he could.

Erwin knelt down with a gentle smile. "Do you like it?"

"Yes." Eren answered with a cheeky smile. He grabbed the wall phone and held it towards Erwin. "Wiing wiiiing." he mimicked the sound of a phone.

"Who is it?" Erwin asked in mock-surprise tone.

"Beebee."

"Oh!" Erwin grabbed the phone and pressed it against his ear. "Hello? Levi? I haven't spoken to you in so long."

Eren giggled and then looked at Levi expectantly, awaiting his answer.

"I'm right here, stupid." Levi rolled his eyes.

Eren pouted slightly and looked back at Erwin.

"Huh? What? Did you say something? I can't hear you unless you talk into your phone." Erwin continued to go along with the joke, which amused Eren very much.

Sighing impatiently, Levi extended his pinky finger and thumb, and bent his other fingers into the shape of a phone. "What do you want, Erwin?"

"What do I want? You're the one who called me!" Erwin responded in an exaggerated tone.

The last comment was especially entertaining to Eren, who fell onto his bum in a fit of giggles.

"I do have something I want to say to you, though. Will you hold on a moment?"

"Fine."

Erwin lowered the phone slightly and began talking to Eren. "Eren, do you like me?" he asked.

Eren's giggle simmered down slightly and, despite the large grin on his face, shook his head. "Nu-uh."

"Is that so? Because I really do like you." Erwin commented with a fake frown.

His cheeks turning red, Eren shrugged his tiny shoulders. "I 'unno."

"Put him on the phone." Levi commented from across the room.

Erwin handed the toy phone off to Eren, who placed it against his ear. "Hello?"

"Hi, Eren."

"Beebee, hello."

"Are you being mean to Erwin?"

Eren smiled and shook his head. "Nu-uh."

"Are you sure?"

"I 'unno."

"Do you like him?"

Eren giggled quietly. "Yes." he quickly murmured before he let go on the play phone, and left it hanging by the wall. He began to play with the cabinets again.

Grabbing the phone and hooking it back onto the wall, Erwin smiled to himself.

Levi observed the two quietly, realizing that there was a small twinkle of light between the two of them that hadn't been there before.

It wasn't until that moment that Levi began to worry that perhaps he was letting his baby brother become too attached to a man who he wasn't even positive would stay around with them.

He considered the idea of calling things off.


	4. Chapter 4

Levi didn't want to return to his previous job.

It was dirty, dehumanizing, and left his body feeling as if it had been completely hollowed out.

It wasn't until Levi had taken some time off from his job that he realized how much he had disliked it in the first place.

"You don't have to work, but you can if you want to. Of course I think it would be safer for you and Eren if you stopped working at the brothel, but the choice is yours. Just know that I'll support you no matter what you choose to do."

That's what Erwin had said when Levi first moved in.

Since brothel hours were extremely flexible and had no real schedule, Levi hadn't worked since the night Erwin had proposed to him. He still had a small amount of savings left in his bank account, but was running low on funds ever since Eren's unexpected visit to the doctor's office.

Any chance of him saving up a comfortable amount of money to rent a decent apartment for him and Eren was slowly getting slimmer and slimmer by the day.

From the way he was looking at things, he had only two solid options.

The first option was that he take Eren and resume his previous life. He'd have to reluctantly return to his job, but once he'd gotten a fair bit of money saved, he could quit his brothel job and find a more preferable one along with a place for just the two of them to live in.

And, the second option was, of course, that he and Eren continue to live with Erwin. Eventually, they get married and Eren gets raised by the two of them in a more family friendly environment.

It seemed clear what option Levi should choose, but he was still in deep consideration on which step he should take next.

On one hand, the first option made him feel more liberated in the sense that he could control his own life and choices without the influence of others, aside from Eren, involved.

Naturally, the second option sounded more appealing but it wasn't without it's drawbacks. He hardly knew Erwin- and that fact became more evident with each day that they spent together.

Erwin Smith wasn't a bad man. Infact, he was incredibly perfect. From his handsome and neat appearance, to his alluring but professional personality. His flaws were few and far between but perhaps the most noticeable of all was the fact that he shared very few private details of his life with Levi.

By the second week of living together, Levi grew tired of being kept in the dark about Erwin's private life.

"The reason I want to marry you? Didn't I tell you already? It's because I took an interest in you."

Erwin's eyebrows were tightly knit in confusion. He was leisurely sitting on the couch while sipping his morning cup of coffee.

In the center of the room, Eren was busy at work in his kitchen playset. He crushed up a pack of crayons with his hands and poured the contents into a plastic tea cup.

Levi, who stood beside the playset, crossed his arms impatiently and tilted his head slightly to the side. "You said there was another reason. You said you had to be married by a certain time, but never explained why."

"Ah, I guess I never did."

"Well, get on with it then."

Erwin silently scratched his chin. "You really want to hear the answer?"

"Consider my position." Levi firmly stated. "I'm living here with an ex-client who I know nothing about. He tells me that we can benefit from marrying each other, but never tells me how _he_ can benefit from marrying _me_. How do I know you're not just a creeper who picks up random men and babies that you find? You seem to have a pretty good record going for you at the moment."

"I'll admit that that sounds fairly sketchy." Erwin stated with a small laugh. He sipped his coffee before continuing again. "Alright, to tell you the truth there's no specific reason why I chose you specifically. I really did just happen to take an interest in you."

Levi stared a moment at Erwin before asking, "And the reason you need to be married is?"

"It's because I have to be married by a certain age before my parents will take my martial status into their own hands. Call me stubborn, but I'm a man who prefers to be in command of his own life." Erwin explained, a casual air surrounding him.

"You mean like an arranged marriage?" Levi straightened his posture and lowered his arms to his sides.

Erwin nodded his head once. "Right. Exactly like that. It's not that I doubt my parents abilities to choose a suitable person. I suppose that I'd rather make the choice on my own. It seems childish when I put it into words, but I know that this is the right choice for me."

Levi furrowed his brows as he stared at Erwin. "Won't they be disappointed?"

"No, not at all. On the contrary, they seem delighted that I found somebody suitable on my own." Erwin stated with a smile. "And Eren. I think they'll really like him too. My mother is especially fond of babies. She's just so in love with Armin, she'll go crazy for Eren too."

"Huh." Levi breathed quietly.

Erwin's answer had been unexpectedly satisfying to Levi. He had half-expected that the man would dodge his question, or to evade it completely, but instead he had been frank and point blank with him.

"Are you having second thoughts?" Erwin asked, setting his cup on the coffee table.

Levi glanced at his side, observing as Eren continued to mix a random assortment of objects into his toy tea cups. He returned his glance to Erwin as he shook his head. "Not particularly."

"If you are then don't hesitate to tell me."

"I'm not." Levi stated firmly. "I just don't want you to think that I'm your new housewife or something because I'm not."

"Pardon me?"

"Between doing all of the cooking and cleaning that I've had to do, I've been typecast as a stay-at-home mother, basically."

"Oh." Erwin mumbled in concentration. He thought a second before continuing. "You're right. I'm sorry for leaving all of the housework to you. I tend to lose track of time on my own, but I'll help around more."

"Honestly, how did you survive before I arrived here?"

Erwin let out a small laugh. "I wonder the same thing."

When the room grew silent, the soft sound of rain pattering against the window could be heard. It was a light, and gentle rain. A nice change from the heavy rain that had plaguing the town for the previous few weeks.

After creating two cups of tea that he was satisfied with, Eren walked over to Levi and called out to him. "Beebee! Beebee! Tea!"

Bending over, Levi accepted the cup and thanked Eren for it. The toddler simply nodded his head and smiled as he walked the second cup over to Erwin. Holding it up, Eren didn't say anything but eagerly awaited Erwin's reaction.

"Oh, thank you so much, Eren!" Erwin exclaimed as he accepted the toy cup. Looking at its contents, he could see that it was full of crushed up crayons and ripped up pieces of paper.

Eren glanced back at Levi, who had already disposed of the garbage in his cup and was pretending to drink it. "It's the best tea I've ever had." he stated, oddly monotone.

Smiling contently with himself, Eren spun around on his heels to face Erwin and watched as he mimicked a swallowing sound.

"Ahh! That's sooo good!" Erwin exclaimed, pretending to wipe his mouth off.

Eren clapped his hands together in delight, his giggles sounding like high-pitched squeaks. He accepted the toy cups from the two and then placed them in the sink of his kitchen playset. He pretended to wash them as Erwin and Levi watched over him.

"He likes to copy the things you do, I've noticed." Erwin commented.

Levi shrugged his shoulder. "It's what babies do. They copy the things they see."

"Speaking of, how are his verbal skills? He doesn't talk much to me, but he seems to know a fair chunk of words."

"Yeah." Levi answered flatly. Keeping his gaze on Eren, he answered, "I guess his vocabulary is developing the way it should be. He can say things like "yes" or "no" and he's pretty good with animal names and sounds. He struggles with forming proper sentences, though. I think 'I love you' is the only one he can really string together."

"I love you? I've never heard him say that before."

"Well... He's never said it to _me_ but he can say it."

"Hm." Erwin hummed. "Have you ever said it to him? He might have to hear you say it first."

Levi eyed the ground thoughtfully while trying to recall a time he had ever uttered the phrase to Eren. When he realized he hadn't, he shook his head. "No, I guess I haven't."

Erwin raised his eyebrows ever-so-slightly. "I'm sure he'd say it right back to you if you said it to him. Give it a try."

Levi shot the man a confused glance, unsure of why he seemed so eager to hear him utter the words to the baby. Though, he was curious himself to see Eren's reaction to hearing the phrase for the first time since the passing of their parents.

"Eren." Levi said, catching the baby's attention. Eren quickly poked his head around the side of his playset and scurried towards Levi.

Shooting a quick glance at Erwin, Levi realized that the man was still intently watching with a look of intense curiousity on his face. Levi returned his gaze to Eren, and quickly decided to not beat around the bush. "Eren. I love you."

Eren remained quiet for only a second before breaking out into a cheeky smile. "I la you."

It was close enough.

"Thanks." Levi said, reaching his hand forward and tickling Eren's side with it.

As he was terribly ticklish, the baby instantly crumbled to the ground in a fit of giggles. After a few seconds, Levi stopped tickling him and gave him time to breath.

Surprisingly, as soon as Eren's breath had returned to him, he hopped back onto his feet and ran into Levi's arms. At that point, Levi pulled him in a small bit closer and Eren buried his small face in Levi's chest.

"He's so sweet." Erwin commented smoothly, as he observed with a small smile.

"Yeah." Levi quietly agree'd as he ran his finger's through Eren's hair. "He's sweet."

* * *

><p>Levi woke abruptly the next morning.<p>

Although he was a light sleeper, he had grown accustomed to his usual alarm of light smacks to the face, and the cooing of Eren's shrill voice.

However, that morning, things were different.

Eren was fast asleep against Levis chest, clutching his little hands against his shirt and breathing quietly. Despite the man's best efforts to keep the toddler on his own side of the bed, Eren somehow always managed to worm his way back towards Levi.

A sudden strong and firm force had grabbed Levi by the shoulder, and shook his body quickly. Since he could feel Eren's weight on top of him, he knew that it couldn't possibly the baby.

"Lev-"

Without so much as opening his eyes, Levi swung his hand to the side until it came into rough contact with a firm object.

"O-Oh Jesus." An exasperated voice mumbled.

Opening his eyes, Levi saw a blurred figure bent over at the waist. As his vision quickly cleared up, he realized that the figure belonged to Erwin, who clutched onto his pelvis tightly. It took to Levi a moment to realize what he had done.

"My bad." Levi mumbled under his breath, as he groggily rubbed his tired face.

Erwin waved his hand in an attempt to show that he was fine. "I didn't mean to wake you so abruptly."

While sitting upright, Levi was careful to keep a firm hold on the sleeping baby to make sure he wouldn't wake suddenly and become fussy. "What's going on?" He asked. It was unusual for Erwin to enter their room, and never before had he attempted to wake either of them.

"There's someone downstairs for you." Erwin said, as he slowly eased back into his usual straight posture.

"Who?"

"Ah... I never asked for a name."

Levi groaned as he tossed the blankets to the side. If anything bothered him, it was his morning schedule being disturbed. Beginning the day with a specific routine made the rest of the day go by easier- and any interruptions could potentially throw the entire day off.

Still looking frumpy and tired, Levi made his way down the stairs while clutching onto the toddler. He'd been in such a hurry to get to the door that he had forgotten to leave the baby behind and he didn't realize it until that second.

Upon arriving in the entryway, Levi didn't see anybody else around. He scoffed quietly to himself, assuming that Erwin had just used some cheap excuse to get him out of bed early, when a voice came from behind him.

"Oh! Pardon me! I was just making myself some tea!" an energetic voice chimed out.

Turning to face the living room entrance, Levi was faced with the image of a familiar person, with greasy brown hair and thick-rimmed glasses, sitting on one of the tiny stools in the toddlers kitchen playset. In their hand, one of the plastic cups was tilted on it's side, and only inches away from the large, almost cartoon-ish grin on their face.

The person was Hanji Zoe. Levi had only met the person twice before, but never in very comfortable situations.

"Eren, too! So nice to see you!" Hanji stood and made way towards the two.

"Be quiet." Levi mumbled, raising a single finger in front of his lips. "He's sleeping."

"Ah, too bad, I'm sure he'd be excited to see me again."

"I think you scare him more than anything."

Hanji laughed loudly. "Probably so!" they bellowed. Only then had they realized how loud they had been and placed a hand over their mouth. "Oopsie!"

It was too late.

Eren's eyes shot open and he began to squirm in surprise. Levi attempted to rub his back to soothe him quickly, but had no such luck. The baby began to wail as loudly as his lungs would allow him to, in a high pitched ear shattering tone.

Levi shot a disapproving look at Hanji. "He usually likes to sleep in."

"Aww I'm so sorry, Eren. I didn't mean to make you fussy." Hanji knelt down to the toddlers level and smiled gently.

His crying only became more hectic at that point, which triggered the entrance of Erwin, who sauntered quietly down the stairs.

"Is everything alright?" Erwin asked, stopping at the bottom step.

"Hanji scared Eren." Levi explained simply.

"Oh." Erwin glanced between the two. "Your friend?"

"No." Levi stated flatly.

"How cruel!" Hanji whined, quickly changing expression to a more serious one as they faced Erwin. "I'm a Child Protective Service caseworker. My name is Hanji Zoe."

Erwin's eyes widened in confusion. "Is there a problem?"

"Hmmm." Hanji hummed, tilting their head to the side. "I don't know. _Is there_?"

The sound of Eren's crying continued to ring through the room as Erwin shot confused glances between Levi and Hanji.

"Well I don't know what any of this is about but I have to change Eren so excuse me." Levi said, pushing passed the two. "I'll be back when he's settled down."

He quickly shot Erwin a look as if to say 'Don't talk about unnecessary things' before he made his way back up the stairs.

What seemed like hours later turned out to be only forty minutes later when Levi returned. Eren was still red-faced from his earlier tantrum, and was looking more on the worn out, grumpy side.

Erwin and Hanji were sitting on the couch over a cup of tea, and heavily into the conversation when Hanji stopped mid-story to greet Levi.

"I see the little grumpy one is looking more awake... Ah, and so is Eren!" Hanji joked, and was the only one to laugh afterwards.

"Ah, why don't you let me take care of feeding Eren breakfast and you two can chat?" Erwin asked, as he stood.

Levi was vaguely hesitant to do so. He trusted Eren in Erwin's care, but wasn't sure how it would reflect on himself if he handed the baby off that easily to someone else. In the end, he decided it would give him a private moment with Hanji to figure out exactly why they'd shown up out of the blue, so he handed the baby off to Erwin.

Eren made a tiny cry of discontent as he was carried off into the kitchen. He flexed his small hand towards Levi, and mumbled "Beebeebeebeebeebee" until he was completely out of sight.

The room was silent after that, as the two remaining watched the doorway for a prolonged moment and listened to the sound of Erwin scooting chairs across the floor until he finally got Eren seated. Mindless baby chatter could be heard, and Erwin feigned interest in the incomprehensible conversation as he prepared food.

"Nice job on the boyfriend." Hanji commented, out of the blue.

Levi furrowed his eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

"I mean his cheekbones. Like, wow." Hanji shot a thumbs up of approval. "Well, anyway, I didn't come here to creep on your man."

"Alright." Levi muttered, feeling suddenly awkward. Finally facing Hanji, he asked, "Then, why are you here? I thought our meetings were over?"

"They were, but then you filed a change of address. I have to make sure that you're taking Eren to a suitable place, of course."

"You said I was in the clear though. That I was suitable to take care of him."

Hanji placed a finger on their chin and stared to the roof in an over-exaggerated manner. "Well, lets say it's not you that people are worried about. We're sure you're a fine guardian, but now you're suddenly living with two other men. It must be hard for Eren to get used to things, and we have to be certain that it's a safe environment for him."

"As his guardian, I wouldn't take him anywhere unsafe." Levi retorted. "Honestly, this is unnecessary, and I'm offended. I've already been given custody of him and this additional shit should be considered harassment."

"Levi." Hanji stated firmly. Their expression quickly changed from jokish to deadpan. "I'm simply doing my job. I'm sure Eren is just fine here, but it's my job to confirm that. Let me do my work."

Levi remained quiet a moment. He simply stared at Hanji through narrowed eyes before asking, "And how many more meetings is this supposed to be?"

"Well, if things go well then just this one." Hanji answered honestly. "Ah. I'm all out of tea. Perhaps I'll be more willing to pass you if you went and grabbed me another cup?"

Levi considered making a snarky remark but decided against it. Instead, he quietly took Hanji's cup and left the room.

Entering the kitchen, Levi was quickly greeted by the sound of Eren's upset whimpering as Erwin unsuccessfully attempted to feed him.

"Beebee! Beebee!" Eren shrieked upon seeing the man again.

Erwin turned back to face Levi. His hair was out of place across his forehead, and he had large stains on his shirt already. "Ah... Levi. He's still being fussy."

Although he found the situation amusing, Levi knew he had to once again take matters into his own hands. "No wonder. He hates oatmeal."

"Then what does he eat?"

"Cereal. Milk. A banana, sometimes. He's kind of picky, I guess." Levi answered as he filled the kettle with water and clicked it on. "Whatever. I'll just feed him since I'm here."

"Sorry about the inconvenience. Armin loves oatmeal so naturally I just made that first." Erwin explained as he set the bowl on oatmeal on the counter.

Levi grabbed a rag from the counter-top and gently soaked it beneath the tap water. Without speaking, he turned to face Erwin and began to dab at the spots on his shirt. "I should have warned you, anyway. It's no big deal."

"Thank you." Erwin said, watching as Levi fixed his shirt.

A silent moment passed as Levi finished cleaning Erwin's shirt. After that, he put all his attention into making Eren's breakfast and handed it off to the other man so he could feed him.

Eren was much happier with his second breakfast option and ate his cereal without much disagreement.

"By the way, Erwin," Levi randomly stated as he poured a cup of tea for Hanji. "Don't mention any of... 'those things' while the caseworker is here. The thing is that I used to 'work in a cafe' but it 'shut down.' We used to stay at our uncle's house back when the caseworker visited."

"Right. I get it. My lips are sealed."

"Good, then-" Levi cut himself off as he turned to walk out of the kitchen.

Standing there, in the doorway, was Hanji with their head tilted to the side in curiousity.

"Keep your lips sealed about what, exactly?"


End file.
